The balance of emotions
by mallemus
Summary: When raised by Severus Snape, one may have difficulties with dealing with other children and handling their emotions. Follow Harry as he tries to balance his upbringing with life at school and how he adjusts to overcome his new everyday life. Smart!Harry, Cold!Harry, Slytherin!Harry
1. Prologue

The wind caressed Severus Snape's cheek, as a new tear began to form in the corner of his eye. It was not the first tear that Severus had shed that evening. A tragedy had happened and Severus was currently standing with the outcome of it. In his arms, he held, what for a long time to come would be called a miracle. Severus studied the bundle in his arms, his eyes kept going back and forth between the scar, formed as a lightning bolt, and the dark hair that reminded him of buried memories of a painful time years ago.

James Potter had made Severus's life a living hell at Hogwarts and as much as Severus wanted to let go of that imbecile's child something made him hold it tighter after all the child was all Severus had left of Lily too. To Severus she would always be Lily Evans, the girl he forever would be deeply in love with and nothing could change that, not even that fact that she had chosen to marry James Potter.

Severus felt a hand on his shoulder but did not bother to look who's hand it was.

"Severus," the kind voice of Albus Dumbledore spoke to him, but Severus refused to acknowledge his presence. _Let me grieve alone and in silence._ Severus thought as a shiver went down his spine. He would never be able to see her and hear her laughter, and he missed it so much. Not a day went by where his thoughts did not wander towards Lily, his beloved Lily.

As Severus stood there with Lily's child he could not help but feel defeated and vulnerable, his secret was out now. There was no way he would be able to hide the fact that he still loved his childhood crush. The tear that had formed in the corner of his eye rolled down his cheek, followed by many more.

"I-I should have done s-so-something. I should have wa-warned her." Severus stuttered as he struggled to comprehend that Lily was dead and that it was not a nightmare. The stream of tears made it even harder to express his thoughts. A part of him wanted to disapparate to a place far away, or if it was possible, go back in time and be a better friend to Lily so that this maybe never would have occurred.

He looked at the night sky as if he somehow would be able to find answers among the stars, but the sky was clouded with no stars to be found. Severus turned his attention to the bundle in his arms. Harry Potter, Lily Potters son, was sound asleep. The child was not the slightest distressed, he looked peaceful as if the world around him was not filled with chaos and mayhem.

"Don't blame yourself, Severus." Albus squeezed Severus's shoulder, although it was meant as a kind and reassuring gesture the miserable feeling did not leave Severus.

Severus did not want to look Albus in the eyes and show him how defeated he really was, he felt miserable enough without Albus's pity.

A crack took Severus's attention away from the child just to see that it was Minerva who had apparated to Godric's Hollow.

As she came closer Severus was able to see that Minerva too has cried.

"Albus, please tell me it isn't true." It almost sounded as if she was begging him.

Severus turned to Albus who, with a silent answer, just shook his head. Minerva covered her mouth with her hand as a sob left her.

Minerva managed to calm herself as she asked Albus what to do with Harry. But before Albus could form an answer Severus had already answered for him.

"Let me take care of him. It's the least I can do."

Both Minerva and Albus stared at him with disbelief in their eyes.

Severus could feel that Harry was beginning to move which only lead to Severus holding him tighter.

"What about the Dursleys?" Albus asked curiously, but before Severus could answer, Minerva cut him off.

"Harry will not grow up with those people, Albus. I have been watching them all day, they're absolutely horrible!" Minerva exclaimed.

Albus had a glimpse in his eye when he answered Minerva's outburst. "It would be good for Harry to grow up where nobody knows who he is."

"With two horrible adults who appear to only love their own son?" Minerva asked in disbelief while looking as if she wanted to hex Albus back to Hogwarts.

Albus avoided Minerva's glare and brushed a non-existent crumb of his lilac robe and turned his attention towards the bundle in Severus's arms. "Take him back to the castle, Severus. We'll discuss the matter there. Wait for me in my office, I have something I need to take care of."

And with that Albus apparated away and left Minerva and Severus with the still sleeping child.

Severus glanced at the house that was behind him. It seemed so empty, almost as if the life that had been present only a few hours before had been suck out of it. The mere thought of Lily's dead body lying in Harry's nursery send a shiver down his spine.

He could feel Minerva starring at him but he did not turn around instead, he took a step towards the house.

"Promise me you'll keep him safe, Severus." Minerva's voice was filled with sorrow.

As he took another step towards the house Severus looked over his shoulder. "I promise."

Severus straightened his back as he came closer to the house, though what he really wanted was to crawl under a rock and hide.

Severus reached the doorstep and heard the loud crack Minerva made when she apparated away.

A couple of photos caught Severus's attention as he stepped further into the house. The photo that had caught most of his attention was a photo of Lily, as a little girl, she could only have been around eleven years at that time. She had an excited look on her face and a smile that could light up the whole world. Carrying Harry with one arm he took the photo and looked around to see if there was anything else he needed to take with him. Severus glanced at James's body when he walked past it, there was no life left in his eyes, nothing of the James who had tortured him throughout his time at Hogwarts was left. Severus felt remorseful as he went up to Harry's nursery. Though Severus had wanted James dead, he had never really expected it to happen, at least not like that.

He tried to avoid Lily as he walked through the door to Harry's nursery, but it was impossible. Severus tried to get a hold of himself, if not for himself then for Lily. He held Harry closer to his chest as he grabbed a stuffed animal from the cot.

With one last look at Lily he apparated away.


	2. Chapter 1

"I will not accept this kind of behaviour," Severus said, as he closed the book he had in his hands.

A wrinkle ran across Harry's forehead. "What kind of behaviour?"

Severus turned his back to Harry and began stirring the potion in the cauldron. "Your laziness, I simply will not tolerate it."

Harry stared at Severus as he added another ingredient to the potion. _I'm not lazy._ Harry thought to himself as he slid down from the chair and walked over to Severus just in time for Harry to see how to finish the potion.

"Now," Severus started, "do you remember any of this?" He raised his eyebrows and looked at Harry with curious eyes.

With a steady voice, he answered, much to Severus's surprise. "Yes, I do, because I'm not lazy." He finished the sentence with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye.

Severus gestured that Harry could take his place at the simmering cauldron.

"Very well, if you say you remember how to make this potion, then I suggest you begin to prepare it, as opposed to standing there as some haughty prince." Severus was amused with the terrified look on Harry's face that quickly turn into his usual reserved façade.

Harry hummed as he walked to the shelf with the ingredients.

"No humming, it will distract you," Severus said while watching Harry grab the wrong ingredient.

Harry sighed loudly as he grabbed the aconite. "I know what I'm doing. I have studied this potion for a week now."

Severus shook his head and walked over to the shelf where Harry was standing. "And yet you took the aconite when you needed the asphodel."

Severus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and looked at him with an irritated glance. "You need to stay focused. I will not let you make a fool out of yourself in my class _or_ show off."

Harry looked at his feet as he scratched his neck. He knew that he had disappointed Severus by acting as if he had been paying attention when he actually had been daydreaming about attending Hogwarts.

Harry looked up and tried to hide that fact that he was embarrassed. "I'm sorry, professor. I'll do better."

Harry straightened his back and was walking over to the cauldron when Severus stopped him.

"What did I _just_ say about the ingredient and staying focused? Aconite now, please." Severus held out his hand.

With a shaking hand, Harry gave back the aconite, without looking into Severus's eyes. You could almost cut through the embarrassment that was present in the room, at that moment all Harry wanted to do was to disappear.

Severus could see how embarrassed Harry was and he pitied him. Tomorrow would be the first of September and Harry was going to attend Hogwarts. Of course, the boy was daydreaming and possible thinking about if he would make any friends and how his first year at Hogwarts would be. Severus hoped that Harry would make new friends or at least have a better experience with Hogwarts than Severus had had himself.

As far as Severus knew Harry had one friend but he hoped for the boy to have more than one. Even though Draco was a good friend to Harry, he did not quit contribute when it came to intelligence and Harry needed that, he needed someone to push him in the right direction. Though Severus did not really have any doubt when it came to Harry staying on the right path, the boy was smart he would know the difference between right and wrong.

Severus looked tenderly at Harry who was currently fiddling with a loose thread on his robe. _How is it possible that I have grown to care for the boy of the man I once despised so much?_ Severus had had that thought before and the answer was always the same. _Because he's Lily's boy too._

Severus cleared his throat and caught Harry's attention. "You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, so I suggest that you go to bed now."

To anyone else that grimace Severus made would not have been seen as a smile, but to Harry it was. With a small nod Harry walked out of the room and went to bed, or at least he tried to. It was past midnight before Harry could finally close his eyes. His many thoughts about Hogwarts had kept him awake for so long that he completely had forgotten the time. Harry wanted to talk to Severus about how scared he was, but showing fear would equal having a weakness which was not an option. Harry, therefore, decided to keep quiet and suppress the fear, there simply was no room for that kind of foolishness.

xXxXxXx

Platform 9¾ was packed with wizards and witches who were talking loudly and showing of new robes or animals.

As Harry walked towards the train he passed a family comprised of only red-haired. Harry was familiar with who the family was, but he had never talked with any of them, even though their youngest son was the same age as himself.

At the far end of the platform, Harry spotted Draco and two other boys who he had never met, but both of them made him wrinkle his nose. Harry shook his head, straightened himself and tried to ignore the people surrounding him.

On the outside, Harry looked calm and in control, but that was far from the truth. Because on the inside it felt as if every emotion Harry could think of had started a riot.

When he woke up that morning all he could think of was how eager he was to leave for Hogwarts, but as he stood there in front of the Hogwarts Express, all he could think of was how much he wanted to turn around.

 _Stop being such a baby. You're already ahead of most of your peers, why are you even thinking of turning around? You have waited for this for so long, keep going._ Harry clutched onto his suitcase and the birdcage where a jet black barn owl was staring at him with a confused look.

"As if you wouldn't be afraid too." Mumbled Harry to Arvin, who just tucked his head under his wing.

Shaking his head Harry proceeded walking towards the train, as the last bit of doubt left him.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It hadn't taken that long for Harry to find an empty compartment. Not in the front, not in the back but someplace in the middle. Harry didn't pay much attention to his peers outside of his compartment even though they were quite noisy.

At first, Harry hadn't paid much attention to the compartment because it, in his opinion, wasn't something that really mattered, but as the train was beginning to move he had taken a better look at it. The seats had a bright red color, a shelf above the seats, a little wooden table close to a nice big window. It was small but comfortable and for some reason it made him feel closer to his parents, knowing that years ago they could have been sitting in the same compartment as he was sitting in now.

Harry felt the well-known sting in his heart when he thought of his parents and decided to grab a book from his backpack. Though he had read _'The tales of Beedle the Bard'_ many times it didn't make it any less fun to re-read them, especially when he needed to take his mind off the loss of his parents. But before Harry could make himself comfortable in his seat, the compartment door was opened. A bushy haired girl with rather large front teeth stood in the doorway, looking at him with what could be mistaken for hope in her eyes.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked, but before Harry had any time to answer she had already closed the door and taken place in front of him.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she stated before she continued to look at him with curious eyes.

Harry looked at her and sighed inwardly before answering her. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter." He sent her a quick smile before he returned to his book. _Remember you are also attending Hogwarts to make friends, you can't just hang around Sev all day._ Harry was glad that the book covered his eyes so Hermione couldn't see him roll his eyes at his thoughts. _I can always make friends when I get to the school, for now, I just want to read in silence without any interruptions._

But even that wasn't something that Harry could do, because Hermione was staring at him with such intensity that it was impossible for him to continue his reading.

"You know, it is quite rude to keep staring at someone." Harry didn't have to look up from the page, he had been trying to read for the past three minutes, to know that her cheeks had turned pink.

Hermione coughed as if she was trying to get a hold of herself, "What are you reading?"

He didn't even bother to look up when he answered her, "Fairytales."

Silence, which only lasted a brief second before another question was asked and a quit rude on.

"Are you also a muggle-born like me?"

Harry could hear that she was trying to make conversation but it was a really rude question. _This girl really has a habit of being rude without knowing it._ Harry thought as he closed his book and looked at her. "No, I'm not, I'm half-blood. And do yourself a favor, don't go around asking people questions like that, it's rude."

Harry opened up his book once more and returned his focus to the page he had been trying to read before, but Hermione's stare made him look at her. She looked as confused as one could be, which made Harry sigh loudly before, once again closing the book and putting it back in the backpack.

She opened her mouth, and if Harry's assumptions were right, she was about to ask why it was rude to ask if someone were muggleborn or not. _Why am I the one who has to educate the muggleborns? Is it really that difficult to find information about bigotry in the magical world or is it because she can't she read?_ While inwardly rolling his eyes at Hermione's question, he answered it without any sign of politeness.

"I will try to put it as simple as possible since you're not exactly a part of this world," said Harry and gestured with his hands in the empty air.

"Some people take pride in being better than others, how they measure their worth is by looking at their blood. It's usually only the purebloods who like to feel oh so high and mighty. Since you're muggleborn you would not be viewed as worthy by some pureblood families."

The two youngsters looked at each other, one showed no sign of emotion or empathy for the other, whose eyes were quite glossy. If Harry had cared to look close enough he would have noticed the tears that waited to fall from Hermione's eyes, but instead, he turned his head to the window to look at the blurry trees they passed.

Without looking at her, he decided to give her, what he saw as useful knowledge about the magical community. "By the way, the same goes for your wand, what it's made of I mean. It's personal and private, ergo something you want to keep to yourself."

An almost silent snivel left Hermione. Harry was certain that she at that moment was trying to dry her eyes with her sleeve, not that he cared it wasn't his responsibility whether or not she made a fool of herself.

Harry wished that the time would pass as fast as the train passed the trees, unfortunately for him, that was not happening, in fact, time seemed as if it has slowed down rapidly since his "lecture" on the magical world. The awkward silence that currently was present in the compartment was killing him. He glanced at Hermione who had moved as far from Harry as possible, which was the far corner of the seat. She was looking intensely at her hands. _You're. An. Idiot. Harry._ Mentally shaking his head, Harry prepared an apology for Hermione not that he ever got to apologize to her, because in the same moment as he opened his mouth the compartment door opened as well. In the doorway stood a girl with long blond hair and pale skin. Daphne Greengrass. Harry blinked confused. W _hat is she doing here?_ While Harry was lost in his thoughts, Hermione stood up and was ready to shake hands with Daphne who, to Harry's surprise, gladly took Hermione's hand and shook it.

"Do you mind closing your mouth and stop starring, it's rude." Daphne shot down Harry as fast as only Severus had had any luck with.

Hermione snickered as Daphne took the seat next to her. The girls proceeded to talk while a dumbfound Harry tried to collect himself.

The girls had begun talking and getting to know each other in the few minutes it had taken Harry to collect himself.

"Where do your parents work?" asked Daphne curiously.

Hermione hesitated for a minute before answering, "They're dentists."

Daphne blinked a couple of times clearly confused by the strange occupation. "What's a dentist?"

"Someone who fixes your teeth, it's a thing in the muggle world. I suppose you don't have dentists in the magical world."

xXxXx

Time had started to fly by as soon as Daphne had entered the compartment. The girls had kept talking and laughing hysterically, Harry had even snickered once or twice not that he would ever admit it if you asked him.

Hermione was currently trying to explain what the point of a telephone was to Daphne.

"So you don't use owls to deliver mail?" a very confused Daphne asked.

Hermione shook her head an smiled, "At some point we used doves but that is a very long time ago."

Daphne looked even more confused than before if that was even possible.

"You live in a strange world Hermione Granger," concluded Daphne and turned her attention towards Harry.

"How was it growing up with Professor Snape, isn't he strict? I mean you lived with him your whole life, how is he really?" Two big silver-blue eyes were staring right at him, hungry for information Harry didn't want to share.

Harry turned his head to the window and the passing landscape. "He's just doing his job." If Harry had to be completely honest Severus wasn't just doing his job and that was certainly not how Harry felt about it.

Guessing that the relationship between Harry and Severus Snape was a sensitive topic Daphne dropped the million questions she had.

"Why don't we change into our robes?" Hermione asked trying to break the rather awkward silence.

Harry stood up and opened the compartment door, "I'll let the two of you change first, just open the door when I can come in." He closed the compartment door and took a few steps towards a loud sound that came from a compartment close by.

"Fred stop, it's not funny anymore," said a boy in a high pitched voice. Harry guessed the boy's request hadn't helped much since another loud bang soon followed.

Harry decided that whatever they were doing wasn't worth his time, and he, therefore, turned around and began walking back to the girls, hopefully, they have changed by now. He was about to knock on the door when it opened.

"We'll be back in ten minutes, I hope that's enough time for you to change," Daphne said as she and Hermione walked past him, headed towards the front of the train.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked confused.

Daphne shrug, "Hermione wanted to know how long we had left, so I suggested asking the driver."

Harry nodded and closed the door.

Since it only took Harry a few minutes to change into his robes, and with the girls not having returned, he decided to begin reading a tale in _'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'_ for what seemed to be the tenth time this day.

Harry had just finished reading the fifth line on the first page of the tale about _'The Wizard and The Hopping Pot'_ when the compartment door slid open and the girls entered. Hermione and Daphne were laughing about something or was it someone they had met on their way back to Harry, whatever it was Harry couldn't quite figure it out.

He quickly realized that with Hermione and Daphne laughing like maniacs there wouldn't be much silence for him to read in, therefore he closed the book once more.

"How long before we get there?", asked Harry.

Daphne looked at the silver watch on the wrist, "Well around forty to forty-five minutes."

Harry nodded and turned his eyes towards the floor. _Why can't you just talk to them? Are you not familiar with the term 'friends' or do you have a burning wish to be alone all the time?_ Harry sighed inwardly, of course, he didn't want to be alone but the thought of being rejected was awful. _But why would they ever reject me, I'm Harry Potter, I defeated the Dark Lord, who wouldn't want to be my friend? Hmm, maybe I do have an ego problem._

After contemplating whether or not he should start a conversation with the girls Harry decided that nothing would happen if he just kept sitting stiff as a statue.

"Ehm, excuse me, Daphne," both of the girls looked at Harry with a curious look.

Daphne tilted her head to the side, "Yes Harry, what is it?"

"Well I was just thinking, why aren't you with Malfoy and Pansy?"

Daphne shook her head so her blond hair danced around her face while a big grin painted her lips. "To be completely honest with you two, I'm trying to hide from that prick Malfoy _and_ Pansy. I don't fancy their company. I'm so sick of hearing about pureblood supremacy. I know you're friends with Malfoy Harry, sorry if it hurt you."

Harry shook his head and smiled, "I haven't been in the same room with Draco since we were eight. And you're right, he really is a prick."

Daphne laughed at Harry's last comment, while Hermione just looked confused.

"He can't be that bad, can he?" she asked carefully.

Harry snorted, "Hermione, you have absolutely no idea. Let me tell you about the time where he almost threw a house-elf out of his window."

The last minutes of the train ride passed with Harry and Daphne competing about who had the worst story about Malfoy, while Hermione's eyes were filled with tears from laughing so much.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: not mine, all Rowling's

A/N: This is long overdue. I should probably have said this in the beginning, but I forgot (and kept forgetting it). I'm not a native English speaker, so if there are any grammatical errors I apologise for that. I try my best to re-read the story as many times as possible, but sometimes I miss the errors there might be.

I really appreciate the reviews!

Now, let's get on with the story:

Chapter 3

In the far corner of the library, where Madam Prince hardly ever looked, sat three youngsters who on paper would be the most unlikely matches but that wasn't the case in reality. Two girls both ambitious, a blonde and a brunette, one more bossy than the other, and one boy who was beginning to let down the façade he had spent years building.

The library smelled of ancient dusty books, who hadn't been opened in years, a smell the three youngsters appreciated.

Daphne had just moved her Queen to C4 when Hermione let out another loud sigh that made the dust on the table dance in the air.

"I _still_ don't get it!" she exclaimed with her head in her hands.

Both Harry and Daphne had given up on teaching Hermione how to play wizard chess. Instead, they had been so concentrated and focused on winning that they _almost_ had forgotten Hermione, if it wasn't for her constant outburst every tenth minute.

Harry gave Hermione the same look Severus had given him, when he wanted to learn the rules of the game, "Just watch you'll get it, you just need to concentrate."

Hermione snorted, "That's easy for you to say!"

"I had to learn it too, you know. Severus would never admit it but he once enjoyed playing with me, but only because he'd always win. Then I started to focus, and look where we are now," with a presumptuous look in his eyes he leaned back in the chair.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry Potter, you're so full of yourself."

Daphne laughed and in that brief second she was unfocused, Harry won the game. "Checkmate," he said it with a wide smirk and a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry enjoyed winning just as much as Severus enjoyed it, especially the gloating that came afterwards, a not so flattering trait he had picked up over the years.

A flabbergasted Daphne looked at the chessboard with disbelief in her eyes. She had the exact same look Harry had had in his eyes when he lost a game to Severus. Harry finally understood why Severus had laughed every time he had won, the look on Daphne's face was absolutely hilarious.

" _How_ did you do that?"

With a satisfied look on his face, Harry once more leaned back in the chair, "Better luck next time, Daph."

"Haven't I told you enough times _not_ to call me that, Potter?" asked Daphne, trying to keep a cool façade, but as the words passed her lips it started to crumble.

Harry began to laugh, "I can see right through you, I know you don't hate it."

Daphne shook her head, while a smile painted her lips, as she began a conversation with Hermione, debating which jinxes they could use on Harry in the future.

It was the 30th of October, which meant the three friends had known each other for two months almost. Time had flown by since they first met on the train, who would have thought that Harry would have so much in common with a pureblood and a muggle-born? Not that it mattered that Hermione was muggle-born, she was brighter than most of their peers. She had quite a flair for anything that had to do with magic, just not wizard chess. Harry and Daphne knew it bothered Hermione that she wasn't getting any better at it, but sometimes it even seemed as if she wasn't really trying to. Harry had a hunch that Hermione was too afraid of losing them as friends that she kept playing wizard chess, even though she didn't care much for it. Most of the time, when Daphne and Harry were playing, she was reading one of the dusty books, while still engaging in a conversation with the two of them. It seemed silly to Harry, after all, they had made some kind of pact before the sorting. They had promised each other that no matter what house they got sorted into, they would still be friends and talk to each other. If something was for sure it was that they had remained friends, Harry didn't know why or how but he had grown fond of the girls.

xXxXx

 _September 1st_

Minerva McGonagall stood in front of the new first years, she looked as intimidating as ever. Not a single hair was placed wrong, it was tied tight and pulled back and there were no wrinkles to spot on her forest green robes. She looked strict and serious, exactly what you'd expect.

Funnily enough, she had never looked so serious in Severus's kitchen when she occasionally joined them for a cup of tea during the afternoon. Harry had many fond memories that included Minerva turning into a cat or her lecturing Severus when she felt that he was too harsh on Harry.

"Remember, when I call your name, come forward. Now if you'll follow me." McGonagall's words pulled Harry out of his thoughts as the doors to the Great Hall was opened. The Great Hall was buzzing with noise, every student they passed wore the same black robes the only difference was the crest on their robes. Furthest to the left was the Slytherins, then Ravenclaw, then Gryffindor and furthest to the right was the Hufflepuff-table.

Harry looked up and was immediately mesmerised by the enchanted ceiling, little grey clouds sailed across the midnight blue sky with stars dancing behind them, it was _beautiful_ , no other word could describe it. He was so fascinated by the ceiling that he almost fell over one of his peers when the rest of the first years stopped at the front of the head table.

The walk from the entrance to the head table had only been seconds, but the energy in the room made it seem like hours before they stood in front of a stool and an ancient looking hat.

McGonagall was standing beside the stool and the hat with a list in her hand. She lifted the hat and began calling their names, slowly but surely the group of first years who had no house shrunk.

"Granger, Hermione." McGonagall's voice echoed in the hall.

Without thinking of it Harry padded Hermione's shoulder before she walked towards the hat.

Harry could see that she was shaking. _It will be okay, it's just a house._ Truth be told Harry hadn't given the sorting much thought if any at all since Daphne had entered the compartment earlier that day. Harry wasn't nervous, he knew Severus wanted him to have fun and make friends, house and blood didn't matter. However, Harry knew that Severus secretly wanted him to be a Slytherin. _It wouldn't be so bad to be a Slytherin, but then again maybe Ravenclaw is more me? I'm definitely not a Gryffindor, I have more brain cells than that._ Harry was so busy contemplating what house he would fit into that he nearly missed it when the Sorting Hat finally spoke up.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Loud cheers from the Ravenclaw-table broke the silence there had been. They were all clapping and smiling.

Hermione, on the other hand, had a nervous smile on her lips when she waved to Daphne and Harry as she walked to the Ravenclaw-table, with reassuring nods Harry and Daphne waved back.

"It will be fin, she will be fine, right?" Daphne's voice sounded worried.

Harry nodded, "Of course she will, besides we'll see her at breakfast tomorrow. Don't worry."

Daphne nodded as another first year was called to the stool, she turned out to be a Hufflepuff, more loud cheers filled the Great Hall.

 _What happens now? Daphne is most likely to be next, what if she's not a Ravenclaw? What if the Sorting Hat completely splits us?_ The sorting was starting to get to Harry and he could feel the sweat in his palms. Harry didn't have more time to think before Daphne's name was called.

"Greengrass, Daphne."

Daphne lightly squeezed Harry's arm as she closed the distance between her and the Sorting Hat.

The Sorting Hat barely touched her head before it yelled the name of the green and silver house, "SLYTHERIN!"

Daphne had a huge smile on her face when she walked to the Slytherin-table, loud cheers once again filled the Great Hall.

Minutes past and the group of first years had shrunken even more. There had been more cheers and the Great Hall was filled with excitement and pure joy.

"Potter, Harry," McGonagall said the name as monotone as possible but it didn't stop the room from breaking out in a loud mumble.

"It's Harry Potter."

"Look!"

"It really is him."

"I hope we get him!"

As Harry emerged from the group of first years the Great Hall became silent, not a single word was spoken.

Harry smiled to McGonagall as he took place on the stool, and with a nod she let the hat slid down his head.

 _"_ _Interesting, I see a lot of different qualities, some more flattering than others."_ Harry had to admit it, this wasn't quite what he'd expected, but definitely ten times better than the rumour about fighting a dragon.

 _"_ _Don't be silly, it's only me, nothing to be afraid of. Now, let me see."_

 _"_ _I will not be separated from my friends."_ Harry had no idea why he was thinking of Hermione and Daphne but he certainly wasn't repulsed by the thought of them being his friends.

 _"_ _You have a lot of ambition Harry Potter, but what will you fit or what will fit you, that's the great question. Should all that talent be wasted because of people you have just met?"_

 _"_ _No. I want to learn, I want to expand my knowledge."_

 _"_ _I see… Maybe RAV…"_

But before the Sorting Hat could finish the sentence another thought crossed Harry's mind.

 _"_ _I want to conquer."_ And the Sorting Hat roared its decision, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Great Hall fell silent, the few Ravenclaws who had heard the Hat yelling 'Rav' had begun clapping but stopped as soon as the Hat became silent once more.

McGonagall took the hat and Harry hesitantly climbed down. Harry wanted to disappear, he knew what the other students were thinking. Harry too had read books about great but mad wizards and what house they came from, Slytherin, it was always Slytherin. His obvious connection to The Dark Lord didn't help him either. _Go to Hogwarts Severus said, it will be fun he said, well this isn't exactly funny._

Harry sighed as he took one step towards the Slytherin-table, his eyes were locked on his feet.

The sound from a chair being pushed backwards made him stop and look back. Severus was standing a clapping, then a deafening roar filled the Great Hall. The Slytherin-table was clapping and screaming his name.

xXxXx

"Harry, are you even listening?" Harry looked at a questioning Hermione.

Harry hadn't realized that he had been lost in his thoughts, but the look on Hermione's face confirmed it.

"Yes, of course, I'm listening," playing it casual and acting as if he had heard her question didn't work.

Hermione was standing with a couple of books under her left arm and a hand on her hip, looking rather judgmental.

Daphne rolled her eyes at him, pushed her chair back and grabbed her books. "It's dinner time, Potter."

Harry jumped up from his chair. "I knew that."

Both the girls shook their heads, laughing as they walked towards the Great Hall.

They were only a few meters ahead of Harry when Daphne looked over her shoulder, "Come on, Potter, we haven't learned how to turn your legs to jelly, _yet,_ you can move faster!"

Harry quickly collected his books and ran after the girls. They were talking about Professor Sprout's class when he reached them.

"I don't understand why you put so much work into it," Daphne turned the books she had in her hands. "It's plants, besides, you do know they won't expel you if you don't pay attention in one class, right?"

Hermione shrugged and hurried towards the library exit. Daphne didn't get it, not that Harry fully did either, but to some extent he did. This was an opportunity for Hermione, to start a new life and make new friends. Harry guessed that she was afraid it would all be gone one day.

The rest of the walk to the Great Hall was quiet. Hermione was three steps ahead of Harry and Daphne and it didn't seem as if she was slowing down.

"Granger, slow down!"

Hermione briefly looked over her shoulder, "What, Daphne? I'm hungry."

"Me too, but it's not a race, though I really hope there's chicken."

Harry shook his head. Hermione's strange behaviour was a rather delicate topic he didn't felt comfortable talking about, at least not before any of them had had dinner.

When they reached the Great Hall Hermione went straight to the Ravenclaw-table, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course," nodded Harry.

Daphne was quick to take place at the table, ready to dive into the food that would appear any second.

Harry sat next to her and was looking through his potion book. He had already brewed most of them in the lab at home, however, he was still looking forward to brewing them again.

"Not you too!" exclaimed Daphne, who, a few minutes before, had been occupied with questions from a nosy Pansy.

Harry reached for his bag and closed it when his potion book was placed among his other books.

"I was just looking through it."

"You should've been a Ravenclaw, you study too much."

Harry groaned, "I was waiting for the food, occupying myself with something that has more substance than that conversation you just had with Pansy."

The food appeared before Daphne could say anything. She grunted and moved on to the food, while Harry had his eyes locked on Hermione. From the looks of it, she hadn't touched the food, she was barely engaging in any conversation.

Daphne lightly poked him to get his attention, "What's so interesting?"

Harry nodded in Hermione's direction and Daphne's eyes followed.

"She seems upset."

"You'd think," Harry rolled his eyes, "I think your comment about her trying so hard hurt her."

The oblivious look on Daphne's face made Harry groan on the inside.

"I'll talk to her, you know I _never_ intended to hurt her."

They continued dinner in silence. The food that always smelled nice had a dull smell to it now. None of the three friends ate much that evening, all thinking about the next day. Hermione thought of ways she could avoid Harry and Daphne, while Daphne was thinking of how she should apologise. Harry was already dreading the conversation. _I have a feeling something's going to go wrong._

xXxXx

It was their last lecture of the day and it seemed as if it was never-ending. _Time must have slowed down rapidly this past lecture._

Normally Harry enjoyed Professor Sprout's lectures, however today it seemed as if it was taking forever to end.

Harry had been unfocused throughout the whole lecture and Daphne had fallen in some sort of trance mid-lecture. There was no way she had heard any of the things Professor Sprout had said the past hour.

"Daphne, are you listening?" whispered Harry.

"No, I'm too focused on Bones' hair, I think one of Professor Sprout's plants have gone rogue."

Harry followed Daphne's stare. "What's it doing?"

"I have no idea, but I can't wait to see what happens," Daphne's voice was beaming with excitement.

Daphne didn't have to wait long before the plant had a tight grip around Susan's hair. As the plant pulled Susan backwards she let out a squeal that caught everyone's attention. Half the class was laughing while the other half looked terrified. Hannah Abbott tried her best to calm Susan, who, at that point, was screaming for help.

"Nothing to see here, the class's over!" yelled Professor Sprout as she rushed to help Susan.

Both the Hufflepuff and Slytherin students left the greenhouse quickly, even though some of the Slytherin students seemed to think Susan's hair being pulled was the funniest thing that had happened so far.

Daphne was one of the students who continued to laugh all the way back to the main part of the castle.

"Daphne calm down, have some respect."

"Relax, Potter, she will be just fine," Daphne rolled her eyes and sighed "admit it, you thought it was funny too."

Harry shrugged, although he too had thought it was funny, he wasn't going to admit it.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the familiar brown bushy hair and hastily grabbed Daphne's arm to drag her along.

"Hermione wait!" Harry yelled across the hall as he pushed past a few Gryffindor students.

"Hey, look where you're going!"

"Sorry!" mumbled Harry as he passed them.

Daphne had finally caught on to what Harry was doing and was now leading the way towards Hermione, who had stopped and turned around.

She had a reserved look on her face and her eyes were locked to the ground. She was clenching the book in her hand so tightly that Harry was afraid she was going to dig through it.

"I'm sorry about what I said yesterday."

Hermione nodded at Daphne's apology, however, her eyes were still fastened to the floor. Harry was confused by Hermione's distant demeanour. _Is it really possible for her to be so upset about a stupid comment that meant absolutely nothing?_

"I felt awful when you said it, but it's fine, you'll never get it anyway."

Daphne sighed, "Hermione, look at me, I never should've said anything, I was wrong."

"No, you were right. I'm just a teacher's pet who loves books, a muggle who understands nothing, not even a stupid game, right Harry?" Hermione's eyes were filled with tears.

Harry shook his head, "Hermione, you know that's not true."

The few pupils in the hall had started to look at the three friends, whispering to each other about what there might be going on. Truth be told Harry had no idea either. _What is she talking about?_

"Would you stop?" frustration radiated through Daphne's voice, "You're intelligent, so what if you're buried in books most of the time, it doesn't matter."

I probably sounded better in Daphne's head than it did when she said it, Harry guessed that Daphne also had expected another reaction than the one she got. Hermione turned around and ran down to the dungeon.

Daphne's face turned red, as she wailed after Hermione, "You're behaving unreasonably!"

With a miserable look on her face, Daphne turned to Harry, who was standing with his hands in his pockets.

"If our classmates weren't aware of our conversation before, they certainly are now."

"Not now, Harry."

Harry nodded and started walking towards the dungeon, when he reached the staircase he turned around, "Are you coming or what?"

"Are you going after her?"

"Well somebody has to give her a proper apology, wouldn't you agree?"

The look on Daphne's face told Harry that she agreed with him, so he began the walk down to the dungeon.

Harry checked over his shoulder a couple of times, just to see if Daphne was behind him, she was and so was the miserable look on her face.

They hadn't walk long before they heard loud sobbing coming from the girl's bathroom.

 _This was blown completely out of proportion. It went from bad to worse, how is it even possible?_ The thoughts never left Harry. He liked both of the girls but their way of blowing a situation that could have been handled peacefully, out of proportion was absurd.

Carefully he knocked on the door, he didn't want to burst through it and make Hermione more upset than she already was, however, Daphne pushed right past him and opened the door.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry."

"Go away."

Daphne followed the sound with determination and without hesitation, she opened the door to the booth. For a couple of seconds she just stood before Hermione, then she walked in, and from what Harry could hear, both the girls were sobbing. _They're so emotional, it's exhausting._

Harry went into the bathroom, despite his thoughts on the incident and how the girls had handled it.

He realised when he was standing in front of them that they were hugging and that the sobs had stopped. _Finally, I don't like it when they're unhappy, even though it was self-inflicted._

Harry felt out of place, Hermione and Daphne were hugging and he was just standing _there_ like a statue. He wanted to join them and he had almost convinced himself to do so, but he was afraid it wasn't right of him to do so.

"Can we go back now, you seem fine?" he asked nervously. Harry didn't want to ruin the moment that obviously was there, but he was getting really hungry and he knew the feast had already begun.

"I just need a minute," Hermione waved her hand in front of her eyes "to dry my eyes."

Harry nodded and made room for her to pass by, Daphne followed her and grabbed paper towels for both of them.

A rather unwieldy silence fell around them. Harry just wanted to make them feel as comfortable as possible. _You should've given them more time, so what if you miss the first ten minutes of the feast? It's not the end of the world._

Trying his best to make the uncomfortable silence between them disappear, he decided to ask the girls a question.

"What kind of pies do you think they have tonight? Apple, pumpkin? Endless possibilities." Harry fiddled with his shirt. _Well, that was a stupid question, look at their faces!_

Hermione's eyes had doubled in size and Daphne was standing stiff as a board. They looked as if they had seen a ghost, and since there were plenty of those around the castle they shouldn't be too afraid of them, so what could it be then? Was it really Harry's question?

A loud bang behind Harry told him otherwise. Slowly he turned around, just to stare into the belly of a giant mountain troll. Harry looked up as the troll looked down on him. It had a large club made of wood in it's even larger hand.

"Do _not_ make any sudden moves." hissed Hermione.

Harry couldn't see her face, although he was sure she was pale and ready to blend in with the wall.

"Oh, I thought we were going to ask it to dance with us," ridiculed Daphne.

Harry could feel the fear rising in him. "Now is _not_ the time Daphne."

Slowly he began to back away from the troll, who had an empty gaze in the eyes. Harry had no clue of what they should do, it was almost impossible to kill a troll, not that it was the plan. _How do we escape this?_ _We can't call for help, we can't run, in conclusion, we're doomed._

Harry was so caught up on contemplation how they should escape that he stepped on the bottom of his cape and fell backwards. He hit the floor with a heavy clash and caught the troll's attention. The troll jumped forward and began swinging the club at Harry, who was a mere second from being squashed to a pancake. Hastily Harry got to his feet and pushed the girls to the booth in the back of the bathroom. They all got in and ducked as the troll swung the club through the row of booths, pieces of wood were flying over their heads.

"What do we do?" screamed Daphne, she was holding on to Harry so tight that his arm was beginning to feel numb.

"We just need to distract him."

Daphne's face was nearly purple from the fear and fury she was feeling, "Is that so, and how were you planning on doing that, Hermione? Singing?" her voice was high pitched.

They ducked once more as the troll swung the club over their heads again.

"We take the club from it." Harry tried to control his voice, but it was shaking.

Daphne pulled her hair, "And how were you planning on doing that, asking it nicely?"

Hermione had to contain herself so she didn't jump to her feet, "The levitation charm, we cast it together."

It was pure madness, there was no chance that they could pull it off, however, it was the only plan they had and time was running out.

And so they crawled out from the broken booths and stood in front of the troll. At first, the troll looked perplexed it was almost as if it was wondering what the three humans in front of it was doing.

Harry looked at Daphne and Hermione who both nodded. It was now or never, the troll had realised that nothing was stopping it from crushing them.

"Now," screamed Harry as the troll leapt forward with ferocity written on its face.

"Wingardium leviosa!" They had raised their wands and was pointing at the club in the trolls hand. All at once the club stopped all movement, it was stuck in the air. The troll looked confused as ever, it was trying to reach the club but it was soaring over its head completely out of reach.

"Drop it!" cried Hermione.

The club dropped instantly and hit the troll on the head, it stumbled forward for a second before it fell. Harry jumped backwards and grabbed Hermione and Daphne so they wouldn't get crushed by the unconscious troll.

It wasn't for long they were alone in the bathroom, only a few seconds after the troll had fallen McGonagall and Snape turned up, and it was quite a scenario they walk in to.

There were pieces of wood everywhere from the demolished toilet booths, and the floor was flooded with the water from the broken toilets. In the back of the bathroom stood Hermione, Daphne and Harry with their wands, still pointed at the troll, in case it would wake up.

" _What happened_?" Gasped McGonagall when she saw the three first years standing in front of the unconscious troll.

Daphne was the first to step forward, "We were comforting Hermione before the feast because she was upset," she looked over her shoulder to find endorsement.

Harry and Hermione nodded and moved towards the professors.

"But why was Miss Granger upset?" asked Professor Snape confused.

Hermione shook her head, "It was a misunderstanding but it's solved now."

Silence fell over the group only broken by snores from the sleeping troll. Harry was looking at Severus who looked furious and relieved at the same time.

"I hope you all understand that this was pure luck, not many wizards or witches have lived through an encounter with a troll." McGonagall gave them a stern look.

None of the three friends said anything to McGonagall, they just nodded in silence, agreeing that it was serendipity that none of them had died.

"Very well," sighed McGonagall, "I believe it's only fair that you each get ten points."

Hermione and Daphne who had had their eyes fastened on the floor looked at Professor McGonagall with shocked expressions.

"Th-thank you, professor," stammered Hermione.

"I believe it is time for you three to go to your common rooms, wouldn't you agree?" Snape had a grim look in his eyes.

The three first years all nodded and walked towards their professors.

"I'll follow Miss Granger to her common room," McGonagall laid a hand on Hermione's back as they passed the three Slytherins, " _and_ make sure the troll is being dealt with."

Severus nodded and followed Daphne and Harry to the Slytherin common room. It was a short and silent walk to the common room, not a single word was spoken before they were standing in front of the bare stone wall.

"There's food waiting for you inside, Miss Greengrass," Severus nodded towards the entrance to the common room, "you too Mr Potter, but I would like to have a word with you first."

Daphne looked at Harry with concern in her eyes.

"I'll be fine, Daphne," Harry smiled reassuringly and so Daphne went in.

Severus turned to Harry when the entrance disappeared behind Daphne and they were alone in the hallway.

"Harry are you alright?" Severus' voice sounded fragile.

Harry nodded and tried his best to contain himself, but it was impossible. He reached for Severus and buried his head in Severus's chest, soon tears began rolling down Harry's cheeks. For the first time that evening Harry could let go of his emotions. The fear he had felt when he was standing in front of the troll was now mixed with the comfort Severus gave him. Harry felt everything and nothing at the same time, his emotions were one blurry mess.

"I'm s-so so-sorry," sobbed Harry with his head still buried in Severus shirt.

"It's alright now, Harry. Don't worry. You're safe." Severus stroked Harry's hair as the boy once more let out a loud sob.

Severus tried his best to comfort Harry and not push his own concerns and fears over to him, but it was difficult. He was just now realising that he could've lost Harry, and that was a thought he couldn't bare. Somebody would pay for this.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: not mine, all Rowling's

A/N: Again, this is long overdue – writer's block. _But_ since it today, 20th of May, is a year since I posted the prologue, I thought it would be a good idea to post a new chapter.

If you think my grammar is awful, please tell me, I want to get better and it's been quite a few months since I've had a proper English lesson (gap-year).

Chapter 4

The past few months, since the troll-incident, had been rather dull, if you asked Harry. Not that he enjoyed almost being crushed by a troll, but he sought a bit more excitement than the flying lessons gave him. It was a rush, for sure, when he left the ground and flew a few meters above it, but it was nothing compared to real danger.  
After the shock had left him and he was back in his dorm, his thoughts had started running wild, thinking about all the spells he could have used and _should have_ used. For a reason Harry couldn't explain he wanted to fight and feel the adrenalin rush again. The urge to seek out danger had let to many walks around the castle past curfew, Harry hadn't been caught, _yet_ , but it was only a matter of time before someone would notice.  
The halls were silent as he continued his walk around the castell, only sparse light shined through the windows. When Harry looked out the window he noticed that it had begun snowing, nothing strange about it, it was after all December. Shortly he wondered where he and Severus would have spent Christmas this year but most importantly, if it would be possible for him to visit Daphne and Hermione or for them to visit him.  
He had been walking around in his thoughts and hadn't noticed where his legs had taken him – the library. It was rather dark, and he couldn't see much. _I definitely won't be able to read anything_ in _this lighting._

"Lumos," he whispered, and a white light shined from the tip of the wand. _Much better._

As he walked towards the restricted section he heard whispering behind one of the tall shelves.

"Do you think he's here yet?"

"He should be, it's way past midnight."

Harry stopped and listened to the conversation, positive that it was about him.

"Nox," he mumbled as he stepped into the shadows, to gain more information on the two behind the shelf.

"Do we have to break rules every month? Can't we just be normal students?"

It didn't take long for Harry to understand that it was Hermione and Daphne who was talking on the other side of the shelf. _What are they even doing here?_ Harry couldn't figure out why his friends had sneaked out of their dorms at this time of night.

"Are you completely sure he'll show?" It was clearly Hermione who was asking.

"He's been sneaking out every night since Halloween, trust me, he'll be here."

Harry sighed and stepped out from his hiding spot. The look on the girls' faces, when they saw him, radiated displeasure. _Why do they always look so furiously at me? What did I even do wrong this time?_  
The girls' and Harry were lit up by Hermione's wand, a light almost as bright as Harry's.

"What are you two doing here," Harry asked a bit confused, "and why are you looking at me as if I had killed someone?"

Hermione shook her head and turned towards Daphne, who looked even more displeased than before.

"A couple of weeks ago Daphne had fallen asleep in your common room, you probably thought she was sleeping, but you woke her when you walked past her towards the exit." Hermione paused and looked at Daphne as if she was asking her to continue and so she did.

Daphne sighed, "I wanted to ask you where you were going but you seemed so determined so I followed you instead. At first, I thought it was a one-time sneak out, but since that night you've been sneaking out of the common room every night."

Harry didn't know what to say. At first, he was irritated that Daphne had been spying on him and that she and Hermione had been waiting to catch him, but the irritation suddenly disappeared when loud voices were heard coming from the entrance of the library. The three friends shared the same puzzled look as the voices came closer and the conversation got more heated.

"Nox," whispered Hermione as she led the way towards the farthest corner of the restricted section, well hidden from the two people, but close enough so they could hear what they were talking about.

"You can't hide behind that façade anymore, Quirrell." Said the man, his voice so familiar that Harry without hesitation could tell who the fifth person in the library was.

" _Severus_ ," he whispered.

"I know it was you who brought the troll here, Quirrell. I know you used it as a distraction, so you would have time to find the Philosopher stone." Severus's voice was stern and controlled.

The three friends looked at each other with disbelief in their eyes with the same questions on all their minds, _how could that be true, why was Severus accusing professor Quirrell of such thing and what was the Philosopher stone?_

"I-I-I don't k-kn-know what your tal-talking about, Severus." Stammered Quirrell as they stepped closer to the three friends. Severus' and Quirrell's faces was lit up by Severus's wand which was pointed directly at Quirrell's throat.

Hermione's grip around Harry and Daphne's' arms tightened. This could potentially go wrong very fast.

"Spare me the lies, I know it was you," Severus eyes were lightning with pure fury, so much that Quirrell crumbled before him, "I'll prove it, Quirrell, your time is almost up." Severus turned around and left Quirrell in the dark, wailing as if he was nothing but a child who had been reprimanded by a parent.  
After what seemed as hours, Quirrell finally rose from the ground and left the library.

Daphne was the first to break the silence, "Let's go back to our common rooms, it's been a long enough night," whispered she and walked towards the entrance on the library, Harry, and Hermione closely behind her.

xXxXx

None of the three friends had been able to get much sleep after they got back to their dorms. Therefore, it was no wonder that they looked as something the cat had dragged in, when they went down to eat breakfast the following morning.  
Hermione had joined Harry and Daphne at the Slytherin-table that morning aware of the glances everyone in the Great Hall was giving them. The trio ignored the glances and soon everybody stopped staring at them, until Draco sat down at the other end of the Slytherin-table.

"Granger, you look more awful than usual," yelled Draco as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.

Hermione shook her head, "Just ignore him, he's a waste of time."

Daphne and Harry on the contrary was ready to grab their wands and cast every jinx they knew, but since Hermione kept calm so did they.

The Great Hall was buzzing with noise, it was Saturday and the majority of pupils had already set their minds on a relaxing day with a possible snowball-fight later in the afternoon. The trio on the other hand were hoping to get the library to themselves.

Harry leaned in over the table to gather Hermione and Daphne's attention, "We need to talk about what happened yesterday."

Both the girls nodded as their eyes wandered towards the head table. Only a few professors were present which wasn't unlikely, neither did it shock them that professor Quirrell wasn't present.

"Should we ask professor Snape why he accused professor Quirrell of bringing the troll to Hogwarts?" whispered Daphne, as Harry and Hermione turned their attention towards the food in front of them.

Hermione shook her head, while Harry and Daphne just looked at her with confusion in their eyes and a burning question written on their foreheads – _But why not?_

"I know that he's your guardian Harry but are you sure you want him to find out that you've been sneaking around the castell this entire month if not more?

The look on Harrys' face told Hermione that her assumption was right. Of course, Harry wouldn't want Severus to know that he had been sneaking around the castell for the past month with the goal of finding trouble.

"Hermione's right. Besides, I think we need to gather more information on the Philosopher stone before we do anything else."

The girls nodded and continued to eat their breakfast. Hermione had just taken the first bite of her apple when Draco sat down beside her and Pansy on the other side of her.

"I can't believe they let muggles attend Hogwarts, Draco." Pansy sounded sweet and innocent but the words she spoke felt as if they were venom.

Draco nodded and poked Hermione on the shoulder, "She doesn't even feel like a real witch."

The trio tried to ignore Pansy and Draco, but the words were harmful, and fury had already filled Harry. He tried to look Hermione in her eyes, searching for a sign or something that would tell him it was right of him to harm Draco and Pansy, but Hermione had her eyes fixated on the apple in her hand.

I looked as if Draco had grown tired of not getting a response. He rose from the bench and looked down at Hermione.  
The pupils around them had gotten silent, all of them were trying to hear the conversation. Draco enjoyed it far too much, he had their attention and destruction was written on his face.

"This isn't the place for a _mudblood_ like you," he emphasized on the word mudblood as he leaned closer to Hermione, "go home while you still can _mudblood_." He said the word a bit loud the second time, just to be sure that those around him had heard it.

The pupils around them looked baffled, some even embarrassed. The only one besides Draco who didn't was Pansy, she was standing tall by his side. "Come, Draco, she's a waste of time anyway."

They had only walked a few meters away when Hermione rose from the bench. Ferocity radiated of her and the cutlery on the table had started to move. She threw the apple she had in her hand and hit Draco in the back of his head with such power that he stumbled forward and fell to his knees.

"Draco!" wailed Pansy and rushed to aid him.

Hermione stepped closer to Draco, her knuckles had turned white, " _How dare you, calling me a mudblood,_ " she hissed at him.

The Great Hall was silent, no one was talking, the only thing you could hear was the cutlery on the Slytherin-table moving.

"Please don't hurt me," wept Draco as he hid behind Pansy, who looked just as terrified as Draco.

With those words Hermione snapped out of what seemed to be a trance, she came to her senses and looked around the Great Hall. Every pupil and professor were staring at her with disbelief and confusion in their eyes. Harry and Daphne on the other hand beamed with astonishment, but before any of them could say anything to her, she stormed out of the hall.

xXxXx

"Have you ever experienced anything like that around Miss Granger?" asked professor Flitwick as he turned towards the large window behind him, looking at the Quidditch players practicing.

Harry and Daphne both sighed. It was safe to say that none of them had ever experienced anything remotely like that before. Hermione was silent around everyone else but the two of them and even then, she was quiet. The only time she wasn't quiet was during lessons, _that_ was where she was shining and proving everybody that she deserved to be there.  
Amazed as Harry had been, the rage Draco had left in him, never really vanished. _How could he say that? How could he call her a mudblood? I wish I had said something or stopped him._ Harry's thoughts kept going until he forgot what professor Flitwick had asked them, fortunately Daphne hadn't.

"No, professor," answered Daphne and continued, "she's the quiet one, even when it's just the three of us."

Harry nodded in agreement and glanced at Severus, who looked concerned and delighted at the same time, something Harry didn't understand. He understood the concern because he felt that too, but the delight Severus was showing was a mystery to Harry. _Maybe Sev thinks Draco got what he deserved?  
_ Both Severus and Harry knew how much trouble Hermione was in and that the Malfoy family probably had something in store for her. Harry could only hope that he would be able to protect her.

"Have you found her?" Harry's eyes locked with Flitwick's as the question rolled over his lips.

"She's in the library, professor McGonagall is with her," nodded professor Flitwick in response, "your friend is okay Miss Greengrass and Mr. Potter. But I must say, I fear for Miss Granger's future, she made a powerful enemy today."

A heavy feeling filled Harry as his fear for Hermione became a reality.

"In case you were wondering, I can assure you that fifty points already have been taken from Slytherin, for use of crude language and ten from Ravenclaw for throwing an apple."

Harry and Daphne couldn't help but snicker at the last part, it seemed so stupid and ridiculous.

"I think we should let Mr. Potter and Miss Greengrass reunite with Miss Granger, don't you agree Flitwick?"

Flitwick nodded and gestured towards the door. Daphne and Harry turned around and walked out the door, on their way to the library.

"Do you think he'll do something to her?" asked Daphne as they walked around the corner.

Harry lifted his head even higher than before as they reached the entrance to the library, "I won't let him."

I didn't take them long to find professor McGonagall and Hermione, they were in the farthest corner of the library. Professor McGonagall too had a concerned look in her eyes when she looked at Hermione, but as soon as Daphne and Harry reached them, her façade closed her face and her usual stern demeanor was back.  
Professor McGonagall rose from her chair and greeted Harry and Daphne, "I'll let the three of you talk." She squeezed Hermione's shoulder before she left them alone.

Daphne sat down next to Hermione and took the book out of her hand. Even though the book was upside down Harry was able to read the title, ' _Hogwarts – a history'_.

"Are you okay?" Daphne's voice was sweet and soothing as she pushed some bushy brown curls away from Hermione's face.

Harry sat down on the other side of Hermione. He didn't know what to do with his hands, so he let them hang by his side, but it felt wrong. He put them in front of him on the table, but that felt wrong too. He looked at Daphne who sent him stares that could kill, he then decided to lay a hand on Hermione's back and began stroking her. He could only hope that he was a soothing as Daphne, but he doubted it.

"If it wasn't my teeth, then my hair, if it wasn't my appearance then my abilities in school."

Harry and Daphne hold their breath as Hermione continued, she filled the silence around them with the saddest tale any of them had ever heard.

"If not my abilities and willingness to learn, then my lack of abilities when it came to finding and keeping friends," Hermine sniveled, "I have had friends before, but they all ignored me when there was no use for me."

Anger was once more filling Harry as Hermione continued. _She's so precious and innocent, why has she been treated as if she was garbage?_ Harry couldn't wrap his head around it, he simply couldn't fathom why anybody would hurt someone as caring and funny as Hermione.

"I've experienced what happened earlier today once before. A year before I got my letter and a couple of weeks before our departure to Hogwarts." Hermione's knuckles turned white once again. "I-I-I ma-made a girl fell down t-th-th-the stairs and a boy, who hit me crash on his bike." The white left her knuckles as her snivels became loud sobs.

"Shhhh, Mione, those were accidents, you didn't mean it." Harry tried to sooth her, but her sobs became louder and louder as she almost screamed her answer.

"But I did, Harry, I did mean it," she looked at him with disgust in her eyes, "I'm a terrible person."

"No, you're not, you're an amazing person." Daphne laid her head on Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione shrugged and dried her eyes before grabbing _'Hogwarts – a history'_. Harry who hadn't had the chance to comfort Hermione properly tried to take the book out of her hands again, but she moved it away from him.

"I don't need your pity. I'm grateful for the two of you, but right now I need to focus on something else."

Harry sighed and tried to lay his head on Hermione's other shoulder, but she shook both Harry and Daphne of.

"Hermione," exclaimed Daphne shocked.

"I want to concentrate, and I can't do that when your hanging on to my shoulders," said Hermione and began reading the first chapter.

"But don't you need, or don't you want to talk more about it, you know we'll listen." Harry scratched his neck and looked at Daphne for reassurance.

Hermione looked up from the book, "We've talked about my," she hesitated for a second before continuing, "problems, but the moment has passed. I'm fine now, I promise." Without giving her friends a second glance, she returned to the page and completely missed the baffled expressions they were making.

"If you say so," said Daphne and grabbed a book from the nearest shelf.

"I do," responded Hermione as she turned the page.

Side 10 af 10


End file.
